Improved Blast Performance -- Savings In Downstream Costs

VARISTEM Guide to Safe and Efficient Blasting

VARISTEM Guide to Safe and Efficient Blasting

There are several different ways that the VARISTEM® can be used to improve blasting performance and decrease costs. Read below to discover how the VARISTEM can allow you to increase pattern spread and/or permit air-decking, both of which can significantly reduce the amount of blasting material required for each blast. Also discover how the VARISTEM can increase fragmentation, which allows for more efficient-post blast operations. And learn about other added benefits, such as the reduction in fly-rock and blast noise that our stemming plug provides. Use the techniques described below alone or in combination to achieve the results which best suits your particular blasting operations.

ANFO Blasting Tips & Tricks

VARI-STEM -- VARISTEM Guide to Safe and Efficient Blasting

AIR DECKING
Historical studies show air-deck volumes of 10% - 15% can be realized without any major reduction in fragmentation. These studies used air bags for stemming support, which save explosives but do not improve fragmentation. Air-Decking with VARISTEM® achieves up to a 27% fragmentation improvement while also saving on explosives.

INCREASED FRAGMENTATIONVARISTEM® plugs increase blast-force retention times by 2x to 4x times. The blast force which is contained by the VARISTEM is conserved and directed into the rock, greatly increasing the level of fragmentation.

INCREASED PATTERN SPREAD
The blast energy which is conserved by the VARISTEM® permits you do do a lot more with a lot less. Multiple studies have demonstrated that the VARISTEM allows blasters to increase their pattern spread by 10% - 25%, without any reduction in fragmentation.